Can you tell us a bit about yourself? I am an autumn person. For me autumn suites the best. In autumn I clean our flat thoroughly. I collect old stuff and unwanted stuff from our home to the secondhand market place for a week or two and sell them.

I light the candles on the window. I put my woolen socks on – this is more traditional Finnish habit than my own. Summer is always crazy and in Helsinki it extremely light even in the night. Autumn one can calm down, enjoy the darkening nights and prepare for the winter. I also love Helsinki in fall. Its more real then.

At the moment my favourite Spotify list includes bands like Hurts, Yuki, Roisin Murphy, U2 and Finnish artist like Chisu and Don Jonshon Big band. I read a lot – books, magazines, articles and blogs from Internet – anything goes! I love films – specially if I have time to watch them on the big screen at the cinema. My old time favourite films are Matrix and Luc Besson´s the Big Blue.

I am a sushiholic and a huge fan of Asian food. Above all Asian food I favor Thai. Middle east kitchen is also close to my stomach – specially proper Turkish meze. Sometimes I prefer mediterian food but I have a bad habit of eating the same place and things just in different restaurants.

At work area I am exploring digital era as digital advisor and web analyst. I call my self former graphic designer & someone who used to work at marketing. Somewhere between those busy youth years I managed to travel long periods around the world to ease my restless soul. I traveled mostly in Asia and I feel most home in the big bustling city’s.

Before I was extremely carrier oriented and restless in life. I had strong image of my self and how my life should be. Everything did change after giving birth to our beautiful daughter. I have learned to recognize that there is much more in me and also in life that I would ever believe! So at the moment I am “just” a 30 something home mother and enjoying it 110% before I head for new big challenges in life!

How do you like being a Spotter? I am a 30something home mother and believe me I have had my shear of fun in Helsinki city! Now I have time to write about it!

Being a home mother and spotter is actually quite enjoyable combination since I live in the city centre and we have loads of fun strolling around and spotting new places with my kid!

I would do that anyway so Spotted by Locals gives me a excellent opportunity! Instead of running my own humble blog I am now part of something bigger. I have over 160 fellow spotters in 30 European cities. And when we travel I hope to meet my fellow spotters!

I also feel most honored to be a spotter in Helsinki since I am Helsinkiar in 5th generation. This is a great honor and opportunity for me which I am grateful! I love writing and taking photos, I love Helsinki and I love doing something useful so this is actually the dream hobby for me!

Do you have a nice Spotters-story? I recently found out that my fellow Helsinkian spotter Lilu is actually my mothers dear childhood friend! They lived in the same house when they where children! My mother called me one day and said that she saw from Facebook that me and Lilu are friends. My mother asked where do we know each other and I tried to explain her that we both write to the same blog called Spotted by locals. She did not understand but she was happy! I was happy and Lilu was happy!

Why Helsinki? Sometimes I don’t know how to describe the beautiness of my home city. How ever Peter MacKeith did capture my thoughts and my love – its like beautiful poem, giving you the answer to the question why to travel to Helsinki (read here).

What do you know about Helsinki what no tourist will know? There is group of people that can travel free in Helsinki area public transport busses, trams, trains and metros. I have seen many families with their babies, children and toddlers traveling in public transportation here in Helsinki and buying a ticket when they don’t need to buy a ticket!

When traveling with a child aged 0-6 years in a pram, pushchair or wheelchair, you are entitled to free travel on all public transport (one parent free for one pram). This means Metro, Tram, trains and busses in Helsinki, Vantaa and Espoo city area!

But the child must be sitting in the pram and not in carried or in held in parents arms. This is for the safety reason. Please read more about this from the Helsinki region transportation site.

Is there something else you want to share? Helsinki is gonna be the world design capital in 2012 and we have already started to prepare for this honour. I want to see you in Helsinki latest in 2012 and to book your flight tickets and hotels early enough!

Check out all Nea Barman’s articles and the other interviews with our Spotters.